Combat Heater Dry Air With a Beautiful Home Humidifier

Colder temps means many of us are cranking up the heat, which in turn reduces interior humidity, causing dry skin and none too pleased nasal mucosa. Sure, you can always slather a little lotion on your skin or add some oil to your bath, but what about your nasal passages? That'd be uncomfortable to say the least. So in the name of avoiding cracked, bleeding skin we're bringing the humidity back with some home humidifiers. These beautiful devices come in all manner of size and style.

1. Anton Ultrasonic Humidifier ($139.99)The Anton is in the family of the quieter ultrasonic home humidifiers. This relatively new technology uses sound waves vibrating from a diaphragm at ultrasonic frequency to create droplets without the noise of older machines. The Anton is great for smaller spaces (250 sq ft.), like say, a home office or child's room where noise would definitely be an issue. It's also got a filter and an Ionic Silver Cube to keep the water pure. We like its simple form and lights to tell you the water level.

2. The Mast Humidifier (about $80)Made out of cedar, the Mast requires no plugs. While it's definitely not as powerful as some of the electric models listed here, it's certainly more ecological. The bottom is filled with water and dispersed through the fan shaped sheets of cypress at the top at a rate about six times that of a glass of water. The humidifier is also made by artisans, not machines so expect it to take about a month for yours to be made. We like the artful shape, environmental friendliness and woody smell in the air this humidifier provides. Forewarning, the page for the Mast is in Japanese.

3. Fred from Staedler Form ($129.99)Fred reminds us of a technological Alice in Wonderland character. Its little feet and spout give the disk-shaped device character. This is also a little more ecological option, as it has a mode for both regular and economy output. Humidity can be set from 20 to 90 percent with a range of 430 sq ft. And limescale is prevented by a magnetic ball.

4. Oskar Humdifier ($149.99)Similar to the Anton, the Oskar is meant to complement the Viktor air purifier, as is apparent by their similar form. The Oskar has an automatic on/off feature that maintains a set humidity and has a 1.9 gallon tank, about the standard two for models made to humidify small to medium-sized rooms. We like the built in scented oil container, which makes this a much cooler way to get a good scent in your room than a Glade plug-in. It's also got a night mode that dims the lights, perfect for us sensitive sleepers.

5. Vornado Ultrasonic Humidifier ($67.99)We suggested this model's smaller brother (pictured in the video) for quiet home humidification, but we've included this one in our new list because it's aimed at general home use. Both models push the vaporized air throughout the room using a fan for better dispersion of the humidity than some humidifiers. Both also use ultrasonic technology to vaporize the particles, keeping the devices quiet. This one covers up to 700 sq ft. and provides controls for both the humidity and fan speed.

6. Plus Minus Zero Humidifier III ($399)From the famous Japanese design company Plus Minus Zero, the Humidifier III continues the line of futuristic-looking humidifiers the company makes. The III improves on the line with mist control, which should solve some complaints of having the refill to often and over-humidifying. The unit also uses two filters to keep the water clean and includes four for replacement.

How do you fight the drying nature of home hot air? Tell us in the comments.